LSU junior wide receiver Rueben Randle’s eyes lit up when he heard his name called for LSU’s first offensive play Saturday against Northwestern State.
“I was anxious to get out there and run that play,” Randle said. “I knew it was going to work because they were a man [coverage] team and that was something we had worked on all did.”
Randle also said Northwestern State’s man coverage was easier to exploit than Oregon’s zone coverage. The Ducks would bring help to suffocate Randle in LSU’s opener.
“This week I was able to get loose more against Northwestern State,” Randle said. “I really try to focus on beating [all coverages]. It’s something I really worked on throughout the summer, and I’ve done a great job preparing for summer.”
Randle played an integral role in LSU’s passing offense, which threw for 225 yards against the Demons, its highest total since throwing for 258 yards against Ole Miss last season.
“When you can line up and get first downs and move the chains and have some big plays, that’s what you want from a passing game,” Miles said.
And many expect more big plays to come from Randle, who faced high expectations entering his junior season after notching 544 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2010.
But his lack of an impact in the season opener raised eyebrows as younger receivers like freshman Odell Beckham Jr. stepped up in his stead.
Randle silenced any doubters against Northwestern State with the second 100-yard receiving performance of his career.
“It showed that I’m really prepared to step up and lead our receivers,” Randle said. “They just created plays for me, and I did a great job of executing and making